Page 43 of Codename: Dustoff
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Ifigured since Amelia already decided she no longer wanted to see me, I had nothing to lose. Either she’d tell me to leave, and I would do as she asked, or she’d be excited I came. I chose to remain optimistic. Though Gemini and Finn were both at the ready in case it didn’t.
Seeing Amelia in her shimmery green dress, with her hair styled in a fancy up-do, stole every last molecule of oxygen from my body. I wanted to run to her. To shower her in compliments and cradle her against my chest. Watching Amelia have a very animated conversation with a group of men dressed in formal military attire, smiling, and carrying on overwhelmed me with pride and unabashed joy. They must have been the guys from the 10th. Just as I suspected, she’d been welcomed back into their fold with open arms.
“I’m just going to hang out, out here, and keep an eye out?” Finn shook his head, while he pulled at his beard, disapproval emanating from the set of his shoulders to the pout of his lips. “I still think this is a really bad idea. You’re ambushing her in the middle of her friend’s wedding.”
Finn was the least enthused participant in our group. He sat on the side of “you’re pushing her too hard too fast” camp. Unlike Gemini who fell headfirst into the “happily ever after at the end of the fairytale” camp.
“I’m fighting for our relationship by showing her I’ll go to the end of the earth to keep her safe and happy.”
“If you say so.” He shook his head again. “This screams toxic stalker podcast material to me.”
I sent up a prayer into the universe. Whether it was for Amelia to not be furious, Finn not to be right, or patience in dealing with my hot headed, and not so romantic best friend—I didn’t know. My gut told me Amelia’s unit would want her here, and now they were all laughing around a table as if time hadn’t passed. She even sat with her legs crossed, unabashedly displaying her prosthetic.
“Trust me, Finn. It’s gonna be okay.”
I steeled myself with a deep breath before opening the door to the reception. Just as I walked into the hall, the band started playing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” It was a sign. I was meant to be here.
“Can I have this dance?” I asked, extending my hand just into her periphery.
All of the solders at the table looked up and in my direction, confusion on their face. In that brief millisecond of time, I could tell they were getting ready to rally around her and protect her from someone unknown. Even if Amelia wasn’t aware, I knew. These were her brothers. They’d never abandoned her. Gemini looked up first, grinning a ridiculous smile that bunched her cheeks up and squinted her eyes closed.
“Gentlemen, this is Emmett, Amelia’s boyfriend.” She pointed at me, turning toward the soldiers who all stood up almost in concert to shake my hand.
“I’d hate to miss our song, Amelia.” I wiggled my fingers at her. “And there’s nowhere I’d love to be than in your arms spinning around that dance floor.”
I half expected her to say no for any number of reasons. But instead, without any argument at all, she allowed me to lead her to the dance floor where she wrapped her arms around me, and smiled.
“I miss you,” I told her. “I miss you, and I’m sorry.”
The second she put her arms around me the whole world narrowed. Everyone else in the room disappeared, and it was us and the band. Her fancy eye makeup played up the intricate colors of her chocolate-colored eyes.
“My intent in having you come here was honorable, I promise. I knew, in my gut that if I could just get you here, you would see that you’d been building a narrative in your head that didn’t exist. I shouldn’t have pushed. You were right when you said I have no idea what you went through. But, I want to. I want to be the one you come to when you’re scared, or unsure. The one who cheers for you when you have some incredible breakthrough, and who holds you and comforts you when you do your best but still feel defeated.”
She hadn’t pulled away. We still remained in our little bubble, rocking to the music which had since changed to another song. Thankfully, still a slow song.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Amelia. So much thinking. I realized how badly I need you in my life. I want you in my life. You were right when you said that I adapt. When I lost my arm, it was all I could do. Roll with the punches. Figure it out. Move on. It’s what hill folk do. We’re expected to just pick up the next day and get back on that hamster wheel.
“As I got older I continued to adapt, but in a way that allowed me to shrink. To hide myself within the blanket of normalcy so that people wouldn’t realize I’m disabled. But I never felt small around you. I never felt like I had to shrink. I felt seen in the most basic way. You see me as a man capable of loving a woman. And now that I’ve had a taste of what it’s like, I don’t want to get back on that hamster wheel again.”
“Oh, Emmett.” She whispered, “I’m still really unhappy with you and the need to throw me out of my comfort zone. But today, this whole trip, has been incredible. So while I reserve the right to have a very pointed discussion later about how not to challenge someone’s comfort zone, right now I’m just so glad to see you.”
“These last two weeks have been torture for me.” I kissed her with abandon, not caring who saw it, and fully ignoring the hoots and hollers coming from the table.
“It’s been an interesting two weeks.” She giggled, gently pushing at my chest so she could look up at me. “Lots of talk therapy with my team. I’ve learned a lot about myself. Both my body and how it is healing, and also a lot about my emotions.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked, charmed by her smile, and practically giddy that I was dancing with her, at her friend’s wedding after all that had happened. “What did you learn?”
“My body is healing. My nerves are building new bridges to communicate, which means that even though it may be slow going, my body continues to adapt to this situation—in a good way.”
“Amelia, that’s terrific news. I will—” Words spilled from my mouth. If she would have asked me to stand up and do a strip tease at that moment I probably would have.
She placed a finger over my lips, “I also learned that I’m absolutely head over heels for you. And I’ve really missed you too.”
I’d been so taken with how beautiful she looked and how excited she appeared to be to see me, I forgot momentarily the present I had for her.
Nothing else could have been said at that moment, so instead I held her close. We took a lazy spin around the dance floor. Once the song ended, she led me back to where all the men sat.